This invention relates to a flail auger assembly for a semi-liquid type manure spreader. The spreader has an open or openable top for ease of loading by power equipped means. The manure will vary in composition from a slurry to a semi-solid containing fibrous plant and vegetable waste material. It is important that the spreader distribute this manure evenly across the field and that the mechanism does not become clogged during use.
Several manure spreading machines exist in the art. Some are designed for spreading liquid manures. Others are designed for spreading fibrous manure solids. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,420,452 to Vaughn shows one approach for handling liquid manure. Vaughn discloses a cylindrical tank supported on its side by a tractor drawn trailer The power takeoff from the tractor is coupled to a shaft which penetrates the front end of the tank near the bottom. The shaft runs the length of the tank leaving at the lower rear wall where it serves as the drive for a centrifugal pump. That portion of the shaft on the inside of the tank includes an auger mechanism for continuously stirring the liquid manure slurry. The tank is filled by means of a hatch on the top. A discharge port near the bottom of the rear wall of the tank allows liquid manure to enter the centrifugal pump. The blades of the impeller fling the manure slurry a considerable distance in an arc way away from the aperture in the pump housing.
The U.S. patent to Hodgson (U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,226) is an example of another type of liquid manure spreader. In the Hodgson system, the liquid manure slurry is carried in a mobile tank from which it may be discharged either through a nozzle or through soil injectors directly into the ground.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,253,834 to Bing et al discloses an endgate assembly for a more conventional type of manure spreader. With this endgate, manure having a relatively high moisture content can be handled without leakage when going from feedlot or barn to field.
The Vanguard model spreader produced by the Hedlund Mfg. Co., Inc., of Boyceville, Wis. discloses yet another approach. It utilizes a series of spiraled paddles fixedly attached to the central shaft in order to move liquids and semisolid manure to the expeller.
None of the above spreaders do an adequate job when loaded with semi-liquid manure. My invention of the flail type auger provides the aggressive converging and mixing action needed to shred and break up the masses of materials to be spread. Further, my flail type auger consumes less horsepower than the prior art paddle and auger flight implementations.